Five Privately Owned Football Clubs in Nigeria

Nigeria is a football-mad country, and the domestic football scene has some interesting followership across the country. However, despite the huge popularity, it is still believed that the league system in the country is not at the level it should be.

Club ownership is often viewed as one of the major reasons league football in Nigeria continues to suffer. Majority of the football clubs are under government ownership and there is a generally held belief that this has an adverse effect on the development and smooth running of these clubs.

Private sector investment is seen as one of the ways Nigerian league football can get to the level where it can compete with some of the best in the world.

While we have had a few privately owned football clubs go out of business due to a lack of financial muscle, there are still a number of them still in business.

Remo Stars

Remo Stars were founded in 2004 by Kunle Soname as FC Dender before getting rebranded as Remo Stars in 2010. They have come a long way in a relatively short time and are one of he more prominent teams in the NPFL.

The Sagamu based club play at the Gateway Stadium at Ikenne Remo, considered to be one of the finest in the NPFL. They impressed during the 2021-22 season, finishing third on the rankings and qualifying for the CAF Confederations Cup.

Chairman Kunle Soname is a renowned businessman and also owns Portuguese club CD Feirense. He is also the founder of one of the most popular Nigerian betting operators Bet9ja.

Given the excellent job he has done Bet9ja, including masterminding the state-of-the-art Bet9ja app, it is safe to say that Remo Stars are in great hands.

MFM FC

The brand MFM is associated with one of the biggest churches in Nigeria. However, in 2007 they branched out into sports by creating MFM FC which has become one of the most recognisable football clubs in the country.

Nicknamed the Olukoya Boys after owner Daniel Olukoya, MFM FC has been adopted as the unofficial team of residents of Lagos State. They made their NPFL debut during the 2015-16 season and have remained a constant feature in the topflight ever since.

MFM FC endured their most difficult campaign yet during the 2021-22 season, claiming just nine wins from 38 matches. After six years in the topflight of Nigerian football, they were relegated in to the Nigerian National League 2022.

Vandrezzer FC

Vandrezzer FC is one of the newest football clubs on the Nigerian football league scene having been founded in 2019. Owned by businessman, Joe Udofia, they have only played in the second tier of Nigerian football and are yet to feature in the NPFL.

Although only founded three years ago, Vandrezzer FC have established themselves as a major force in the Nigerian football scene. They have been at the forefront of a number of innovations such as pre-match activities, live match streaming and commentary, among others.

They were based in Lagos during the 2021-22 season, playing their home games at the Teslim Balogun Stadium Surulere. However, it has since been announced that they have adopted Akwa Ibom as their new home for the 2022-23 NNL season.

FC Ifeanyi Ubah

Previously known as Gabros International, they were already a recognised name on the Nigerian club scene. However, in 2015, they were acquired and renamed by prominent South-eastern senator Ifeanyi Ubah and have become a mainstay in the Nigerian football league system.

Hugely popular around the country and particularly in the Southeast, FC Ifeanyi Ubah have had some regional success in the football league scene. They claimed their biggest achievement in 2016 after beating Nasarawa United on penalties to clinch the Federation Cup.

FC Ifeanyi Ubah were relegated from the NPFL during the 2020-21 season and have been in the lower leagues of Nigerian football ever since.

Abubakar Bukola Saraki FC

Founded in 2004 as Bukola Babes, ABS FC came into prominence in 2011 when they were bought and renamed by outgoing Kwara State governor Bukola Saraki. They have spent most of their time in the league system shuttling between the topflight and second tier of Nigerian football.

However, since being relegated to the NNL at the end of the 2016-17 season, ABS FC have struggled to find their way back to the NPFL. They finished sixth in Group A1 of the NNL during the 2021-22 season.